Based-on-true-story shows how woman and her grandmother stay close even when they’re far apart.

There’s an old marketing maxim that says you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle. The idea is that no one really cares about the item or service itself, they care about the feeling of satisfaction, security, or happiness it can give them.

Of course, miso soup doesn’t actually sizzle, but the concept still applies in this beautiful short anime video that in which Japanese miso soup maker Marukome isn’t really talking about the soup, but showing you its warmth, both literal and figurative.

Based on the actual family situation of a real-life Marukome employee, the anime video has two key characters: Mai, a Marukome employee working at one of the company’s offices in Tokyo, and her 97-year-old grandmother, who lives by herself in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost, and coldest, prefecture.

Though Grannie is a cheerful spirit with friendly neighbors, Mai worries about her, as it’s getting harder for her to make shopping runs and cook full meals as she gets older. The two keep in touch by text message, though, and Mai also sends care packages of Marukome instant miso soup mix, which her grandma can make by simply adding hot water.

While the soup itself looks tasty, the real star of the show here is how the animators depict the chilly conditions of a Hokkaido winter, and contrast them with the comforting warmth of home.

The short is full of little visual details like the kettle that Grannie keeps on top of her living room space heater, an old-school way of adding a little extra heat and humidity to home interiors in Japan. She also sets her boots and gloves in a tray and places them in front of the heater, rather than leave them in her entryway, so that the slush they’ve picked up while she was outside don’t harden into ice, and also so that the melted snow doesn’t get on her floor. Then there are the subtle indicators of the gap in age between Mai and her grandma. While Mai whips out her smartphone to send messages, Grannie is still rocking a flip phone, or “garakei,” as they’re called in Japanese. Then there’s the stool Grannie has in her entryway to help her get her shoes on and off without having to put extra strain on her nearly century-old knees and back.

If you’re thinking there’s a sort of Ghibli-esque quality to some of the scenes, especially the cut that shows the bowl of miso soup, the anime short was directed by Sunao Katabuchi, assistant director for Kiki’s Delivery Service, who also directed In This Corner of the World and the very tonally different Black Lagoon. Meanwhile, the character designs come from Satoshi Kadowaki, Attack on Titan’s chief animation director, and a number of artists from anime studios MAPPA and Wit Studio also contributed to the project.

The video ends with Grannie showing that she’s not too old to learn new tricks, as she fires off a thank-you message that concludes with a stamp and the message “Living a long life is awesome!”

All in all, not a bad way to sell the “sizzle” of easy-to-make miso soup.

Source: Marukome
Top image: YouTube/マルコメ公式チャンネル（marukomeOfficial）
Insert images: YouTube/マルコメ公式チャンネル（marukomeOfficial）, PR Times
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[ Read in Japanese ]